Dreams Come True
by MWolfL
Summary: Luna visits Pipsqueak, only to discover something she hadn't known before about him. Then she meets a new unicorn, who may be the remaining cure to her loneliness. LunaXOC
1. Luna Makes a Big Decision

A.N. I forgot to mention this in the last story, but I have come up with so many MLP parodies of other movies that I've decided not to post them on this site. I also have countless other story ideas, so if I included the MLP parodies then the amount of stories on my account would just get way too long. So instead I've gotten an account on the Friendship is Magic fanfiction site so that I can post my parody ideas there. My name on that site is My90sPony.

Also I've looked ahead at Season 7 on the Wiki, and I'm just going to declare this right now: in my stories, Season 7 never happened.

It wasn't long after the Gala, only a couple weeks in fact. Luna still hadn't been that busy, so Celestia gave her permission to take the day off to visit her friends in Ponyville. Pipsqueak especially, since Luna usually only got to see him on Nightmare Night.

Luna was looking forward to it too, despite having only seen each other a few times they had already developed a special bond. Like Pipsqueak Luna was fond of adventure - one of the reasons why she loved her job of monitoring dreams actually, a lot of them were adventures in themselves - and she also admired his devotion to making things better for others. She was very proud and happy when she heard that he ran for Student Pony President at his school and then won.

Especially since fixing the school playground wasn't the only good thing he did for the school, he improved things in other ways as well. Even talking to the school board into hiring a psychologist for the students as a way to deal with bullies. After learning the truth about Diamond Tiara Pipsqueak realized that other bullies might be that way because of problems at home, and figured that having somepony to talk to may help those bullies learn how to deal with those problems. The school board did agree with the decision, but decided not to rush into it since Diamond Tiara - and Silver Spoon to a lesser extent - had been the only bullies at that particular school. Plus they needed to work out a budget before they could hire anypony anyway. Fortunately when Starlight Glimmer's parents Alcor and Sweetheart Garrison moved into Ponyville Alcor ended up being just what they needed.

Anyway, because of Pipsqueak's actions at the school Luna had a really good feeling about his future. Maybe he'd even become a palace guard, which she hoped since that would mean she'd get to see more of him.

But when Luna reached Ponyville she didn't. See him that is. Plenty of foals were running around playing, but Pipsqueak was nowhere in sight. That's when Luna, much to her embarrassment, realized that she didn't even know where Pipsqueak lived. They had seen so little of each other that the chance to ask about his home life never really came up. Mostly Pipsqueak would just want to play or talk about his friends or how things were going in school.

So Luna decided to see Twilight. She was sure that Twilight would know where he lived.

"Well hello Luna, what brings you here?" Twilight smiled when she opened the door, not worried about this unexpected visit since Luna was smiling.

"I came here to see Pipsqueak, when I realized that I have no idea where he lives." Luna admitted. "Do you?"

"Oh of course, he lives at the orphanage Scootaloo was in until Rainbow Dash adopted her." Twilight smiled.

Luna's smiling expression changed to one of shock and sadness.

"Oh...didn't you know?" Twilight realized.

"No...he never told me." Luna said.

"Ah...actually...I should've realized that." Twilight winced. "He lost his parents when he was little, and the orphanage in Trottingham was full so he had to move here. Obviously it's become a sore subject for him."

"The poor lad..." Luna said softly.

"Yes...oh you should probably wait a bit before seeing him. It's Adoption Day today so you being there might give some of the orphans the wrong idea." Twilight advised. "Not that there's anything wrong with you adopting one of them, but of course you shouldn't unless you want to."

"I think there's one I'd like to adopt...but I should wait and see how things go for him today first." Luna said. "Thank you Twilight."

"No problem...and it may be best to talk to Celestia before adopting Pipsqueak. She has a right to know first when considering getting a new member of the family, and since she adopted Spike she may have some pointers for you."

"I will. I must go now." Luna said before leaving.

"Okay, and tell Pipsqueak I said hi." Twilight smiled.

Luna headed for the orphanage, making herself invisible before looking through a window. There were couples and single parents there looking to adopt...but by the end of the session, none had shown an interest in adopting Pipsqueak. Two other foals hadn't been adopted either, but they weren't as sad as Pip hinting that they hadn't been there as long as him.

Pip sadly headed for his room, saddening Luna even more. It also helped her make up her mind, so she flew back to the palace.

"Sister, may I speak with you for a moment?" Luna asked after entering Celestia's office.

"Why sure...is there something wrong?" Celestia became a little worried, since Luna rarely gave up a chance to play with others.

"Sort of...did you know about Pipsqueak being an orphan?" Luna asked.

"Hm...maybe. I do hear about orphans and orphanages sometimes, but I normally don't handle those affairs." Celestia shook her head. "At least not until I heard about the orphanage in Manehattan closing, the one Richie knew about. After that I decided to arrange for any news of orphanages in trouble to be sent to me, so that I can help them. The orphanage in Ponyville never had trouble though. And I am sorry to hear that Pipsqueak is an orphan, no foal deserves that fate and he especially doesn't. Did he finally tell you?"

"No, Twilight did. She said the subject was too sore for him to talk about." Luna explained. "I'm actually here because...I was considering adopting him."

Celestia smiled at her, a good sign.

"You've really become fond of him haven't you? I must admit, the info I've heard about him has kinda reminded me of you. Kind, adventure-loving, and always wanting to help others." She said.

"Yes, but Twilight advised that I talk to you about it first." Luna said before chuckling. "If she hadn't I probably would've automatically gone in there and adopted him on the spot."

"I wouldn't have been surprised if you had." Celestia chuckled back. "I think it's a good idea for the most part, but of course you should talk to him about it first before deciding. After all a princess adopting a foal is very different from other ponies adopting a foal. If you do adopt Pipsqueak he'll have more than a new home and new family to get used to, there's also the royal life and the fact that he'll have to understand that he may not get to see you as often as he'd like. Plus you would have to think about his education, even if he decides not to become an official prince he will still have to learn certain things. Manners, how to behave in court - even if he doesn't want to be a prince he may have to participate in court sometimes - and how to deal with going to boring events even if he doesn't want to." She winced at the last one.

Luna laughed understandingly.

"I will. Thank you sister."

"Of course...and for the record, I'd love to have another member of the family. Especially another prince who isn't egotistical and vain."

They both laughed at this, and Luna left to head back to Ponyville.

Once there she went straight to the orphanage and walked inside.

"Why- Princess Luna!" The caretaker was surprised before realizing: "Oh, of course you must be here to see Pipsqueak."

"I am, and just Luna please. Where is his room?" Luna asked.

"He shares a room with another colt, so if you'd like to see him privately it'd be best if I bring him to you instead." The caretaker said.

"Thank you, I would prefer that."

"Very well. It'll just be a moment."

After a little more than a moment the caretaker returned, with Pip following her with his head down.

"Somepony told you huh?" He said.

"Twilight did, before realizing that you didn't tell me." Luna said. "Why? There was no reason to keep this a secret from me. Celestia and I lost our own parents to old age thousands of years ago, so of course I wouldn't think poorly of you for being an orphan. There is really nothing wrong with being an orphan at all, I mean it is sad when one's family dies but being an orphan is never a punishment. It's just life."

"Oh that has nothing to do with it..." Pip started to tear up.

"Was it because it's hard for you to talk about your parents? That's what Twilight guessed."

"Sorta. Actually..." Pip looked away. "I never told you because I was afraid."

"Afraid? Afraid of what?"

Pip stayed silent.

"Pip..." Luna said softly and with concern. "Please, I want to help you. With all the good you've done in school and with your friends you deserve a good future."

A.N. Just to explain: Pip saying that he wanted to learn how to become popular through knowing Twilight like the Crusaders did during the episode _Twilight Time_? It felt blunt to me so I believe that he actually said it on purpose to stop Diamond Tiara and the other foals from trying to take further advantage of the Crusaders' new popularity, especially since _Crusaders of the Lost Mark_ hinted that he's friends with the Crusaders.

Pip started shedding tears.

"I...for a long time I...dreamed of you adopting me but...believed it was impossible." He admitted.

Luna teared up, touched.

"It isn't. I have already started considering adopting you." She said.

Pip turned to her, shocked.

"Y-you have?" He choked.

"Yes. However being adopted by a princess will mean big changes, even bigger than most orphans usually go through. I'd like to talk with you about them first before we make anything official."

"Oh...oh, of course." Pip facehoofed. "I forgot about the whole 'moving into a palace' and such."

Luna smiled even more, glad that Pipsqueak cared more about her than about becoming royalty.

"Yes. How do you feel about that?" She asked.

"Er...well I guess I can handle any living space so long as you're my mum." Pip decided. "But what about the other royal stuff? I don't want to stop going to school with my friends."

"You won't, at least not for now. I've already decided to let you continue your education the way it is and only consider transferring you to a school or training program in Canterlot after you get your Cutie Mark."

Ah, good...I guess that's okay then. I mean if I get my Cutie Mark in something important like being a guard I'd have to learn more about being one anyway right?"

"Exactly. However it still will be good for you to learn certain behaviors, from basic manners to dealing with going to certain events."

"You mean like the Gala? Truthfully I'd love to hang out with my friends either way, even if the Gala is boring for me."

"I understand that. Another thing: I'm often busy, especially at night, so you may not get as much time with me as you'd like."

"I guess I should've expected that...I'll still see you more often than I do now though right?"

"Yes, you will."

"Good, then I'm okay with it. I can just find other ways to occupy my time during the day, like maybe study those manners you mentioned, and I'll be asleep at night anyway."

"Very good. Oh yes, and I should warn you about Blueblood. He's my and Celestia's nephew, and is very vain, egotistical, and snobby. He most likely won't react kindly to you joining the family."

"Oh dear...well...I guess I can just avoid him most of the time if necessary." Pip winced.

"You can, especially if you study or I arrange for you to hang out with your friends in Ponyville. Blueblood rarely goes to the library since he has his own private collection of books."

"Thank goodness...okay. I think I can handle becoming royalty...it'll be worth it to have you for a mum anyway."

Luna smiled.

"Very well then, I'll fill out the paperwork right now."

She did while Pip went to get his things. Luna then took Pip to the palace - which was easy since Luna fortunately arrived in her carriage - and took him to an empty guest room next to hers. This particular one was one of the ones created for foals, not just Flurry Heart but also the children of other visiting royalty. Plus in case Twilight and her friends had to stay in Canterlot for a certain amount of time and the Cutie Mark Crusaders were with them as well.

"It may take a bit of time to redo this room to your tastes, but I believe it'll do for now." Luna said.

"As long as the bed is comfortable I think so too. Although I am used to sharing a room with other colts..." Pip sighed.

"Don't worry, you'll get used to having a room of your own. And if you get scared during the night I can easily visit you in your dreams and keep you company." Luna reassured him.

"I hope so. And thank you...mum." Pip smiled.

"You're very welcome son. Now would you like to get settled first, or would you rather meet your new aunt?"

"I guess I'd like to meet Princess Celestia. Oh, wait, I guess I should call her Aunt Celestia now huh?"

"I think she would prefer that, yes." Luna nodded.

"Okay. Then yes I'd like to meet Aunt Celestia first."

"Very well, I believe she's finished with her work so I'll take you to the throne room." Luna headed into the hallway.


	2. Meeting His Aunt and Cousin

Pip followed her until they reached the throne room. Pip was a bit intimidated by the room and the presence of Celestia, but calmed himself down by remembering that Celestia is family now.

"Well hello Pipsqueak, it's a pleasure to officially meet you." Celestia smiled. "And based on what I've heard from Luna, I'm happy to call you my nephew."

"Hello...Aunt Celestia." Pip was still a bit nervous, but Celestia's kind words gave him enough courage to talk. "Frankly, I'm happy to have a family again whether they're royalty or not."

"I am glad to hear that, sadly not all ponies care more about important details like personality than trivial details like rank. Fortunately most of our family cares more about personality...save one." Celestia winced.

"Yeah, mum warned me about Blueblood. Blimey, I hope I can put up with his snobbiness whenever I can't avoid him."

"I don't know if this helps, but even Celestia and I have our limits with him." Luna admitted. "Especially me, since I've had less practice tolerating him..."

"Well, it does make me feel a little better...I mean even if two patient alicorns have their limits then an Earth colt not being able to put up with him is forgivable right?"

"Very forgivable." Luna nodded. "Especially since there have been times when I've wanted to toast Blueblood's-"

"Oh Aunt Celestia, I've been wanting to-" Speaking of the devil... "Um, what is a common Earth colt doing here?" Blueblood sniffed.

"His name is Pipsqueak, and he is now my son." Luna explained, gradually growing sterner until she ended in a major glare. "I just adopted him today because he cares about others and because I've grown to love him like a son. And if you have any problems with that or say one unfavorable word about him then I'm going to make you wish that Spike had already followed through on his threat to have your title taken away."

Blueblood's eyes widened with fear, and he backed away a little.

"Er...pardon me Aunt Celestia, I just came in here to ask for help in finding me the perfect mare to marry. My parents have been pressuring me to settle down and increase the royal blood in the family." He quickly turned to Celestia.

"You do know that's not exactly under my realm of expertise right?" Celestia rolled her eyes.

"Yes, but Cousin Cadance lives too far away. I don't want to force her to make the long journey away from her husband and filly." Blueblood said with fake consideration.

"More like you don't want to make the long journey into the Crystal Empire because you already have a long spa session booked tomorrow." Luna deadpanned.

Celestia stifled a giggle, and Pip chuckled. Blueblood grew a little red with irritation, but refrained from retorting.

"Blueblood, I will write to Cadance about the matter. I'm afraid that's the most I can do right now." Celestia said.

"Very well. Please contact me as soon as Cadance has written back." Blueblood bowed and left.

"Yeah, you're afraid it's the most you can do because you wish you could do less." Luna chuckled to Celestia as she neared her own throne.

"Admittedly, this is true." Celestia nodded. "I would prefer to not bother Cadance with this, but if I don't do something then Blueblood's parents will start bugging me about the matter. Better to just please him now then later have to deal with three of him, including a female version."

"Crikey, I'd feel sorry for any mare who's destined to end up with him." Pip remarked as he also neared the thrones; his new mom's sarcasm ended up making him very comfortable with his new family despite their royal status. "Say, hold on now, where's Spike's throne? I mean I know he has one in the Castle of Friendship, but I heard from the Crusaders that he's been helping out in court so shouldn't he have a throne here too?"

"This is true, however Spike isn't here often enough to justify a throne. Especially since he's still starting out as a prince." Celestia explained.

"Oh. Does this mean I won't get a throne until later as well? I mean I know I'm not old enough to help with the court, but I'd still like to spend as much time with mum as possible. And you too Aunt Celestia."

"Actually, since you'll be living here now a throne for you is a good idea, especially since it wouldn't hurt for you to get used to certain royal duties early." Celestia nodded. "I'll have the royal carvers start building one for you tomorrow. Besides, we would like to spend as much time with you as possible too."

"Great." Pip grinned.

Since Luna still sort of had the day off, she, Celestia, and Pip continued talking for a bit and then Luna and Pip left to play until dinner. Luna then insisted on Pip going to bed soon after dinner, so that he'd be able to wake up early enough to go to school in Ponyville. Pip didn't like the idea of going to bed early, obviously, but he did want to continue going to school in Ponyville so he gave in.

He was still a little tired the next morning, but some hot chocolate with breakfast perked him up and he took a short nap in the carriage on the way to Ponyville. So he was able to attend his classes without falling asleep.

"Hey Pip, I heard that Luna adopted you yesterday." Sweetie Belle smiled during recess. "Spike was telling Rarity about it this morning while I was getting ready for school."

Sweetie and Rarity's parents were taking another trip, a short one though, so Sweetie was staying over at Rarity's again. Spike was there helping with a few last-minute gem touches on a new gown of Rarity's.

"She sure did, came as quite a big surprise to me too." Pip smiled.

"This is great, we were hoping you'd get a family someday." Apple Bloom smiled.

"Hey, now we've both been adopted by our idols." Scootaloo grinned. "Put 'er there fellow lucky adoptee."

Pip bumped hooves with her, returning the grin.

"We're happy for you too, except I don't even want to imagine how mother's going to react when she finds out about this." Diamond Tiara winced.

"Well whatever she'll say it won't be worse than what Blublood probably would've said yesterday if mum hadn't threatened him." Pip laughed.

"No way, Luna threatened her own nephew?" Scootaloo grinned.

"What did she say?" Silver Spoon asked.

"Basically that if he said anything mean about me then she'd make him wish that he had already gotten his title removed." Pip chuckled.

"Hoo boy, don't want to figure out what she'd do then." Sweetie remarked.

"Hm, maybe when I get the chance I should ask Luna to threaten mother about this arranged marriage business." Diamond considered. "I mean I know I can easily refuse the marriage, but it's still unpleasant listening to mother talking about it."

"Maybe you could try waiting until she visits one of your dreams, that's usually the easiest way to talk to her." Apple Bloom suggested.

"Good idea. I just hope it doesn't take a nightmare to get her attention." Diamond winced.

"Usually no, since we didn't see each other during the day in the past mum used to visit me in my dreams around twice a month, sometimes a little more often if there weren't that many nightmares going on." Pip explained. "In one dream she told me that sometimes she visits pleasant dreams as a break from the nightmares."

"Good. I'll just wait and see if one of my good dreams gets her attention in the future then."

Then since recess was going to be over soon, they stopped talking to get in a round of hoofball (like handball) before the bell rang.

Days passed, and Pip slowly got used to his new life. School hadn't changed at all apart from needing to get up earlier than normal, much to Pip's relief. Even the time spent in the palace was pleasant, because Blueblood had decided to avoid Pip as much as possible to prevent any unfavorable comments from slipping out. Because of that Blueblood and Pip usually only saw each other during meal times.

Fortunately Pip had already grasped that he should use his best table manners while eating, so his eating never became messy enough to tempt Blueblood to comment on it. But even so Luna and Celestia sometimes had to remind Pip to use better table manners, since after all he was still a foal and so prone to slipping into messy or at least casual habits.

Also of course there was the fact that Celestia and Luna were often busy, but since Pip had already been warned about that he was prepared for it. Often he just played in his room or read books either in his room or the library, but sometimes he'd also explore the grounds with a guard (to make sure that he wouldn't get lost). Fortunately Luna was able to arrange some time with her new son each day, and even Celestia was able to get a bit of fun time with him now and then. So Pip was able to get to know his new mom and aunt even more, and gradually grew so comfortable with them that he even forgot about them being royalty.

The nights however were rough at first. Pip wasn't used to sleeping by himself, so it'd often take him a long time to fall asleep. Catching on quick, Luna started singing to him to help him fall asleep and then later would visit his dreams if they were becoming unpleasant. Both actions gradually helped Pip get used to having a room by himself, but it still took around three weeks before Luna could go back to her regular routine of keeping an eye on Equestria and other ponies' dreams without needing to visit Pip's.


	3. A New Friend

A.N. The fake name Luna uses here, Selena, comes from what Luna's name was originally going to be. However there were legal problems so they had to change it to Luna.

And the first night she got back to her regular routine, she saw something very surprising: a unicorn in the park in Canterlot, wide awake and working on what looked like to be a painting. Curious, she decided to fly closer and get a better look. Once she got close enough she saw that he was a black unicorn with a yellow mane and tail, and his Cutie Mark was of a star with a paintbrush attached. And he was painting the night sky! Touched, Luna used her magic to somewhat disguise herself - hiding her wings and royal regalia, altering her Cutie Mark a little, and shrinking herself to normal unicorn size - before approaching him.

"Hello." She said.

"Huh?" He turned around, startled, before smiling. "Oh hello, I thought I was the only pony besides Princess Luna who enjoyed being up this late."

"So did I, but then again I study the night sky so I have to stay up late either way." Luna smiled. "My name is Selena."

"I'm Star Painter, and it's always a pleasure to meet a fellow lover of the night sky." Star Painter smiled. "I paint the night sky in different locations and times of the night...which you probably already know considering that's what I'm working on." He then chuckled.

"I do, and you're doing a fantastic job of it." Selena went closer to the painting to get a better look of it. "It almost looks exactly like the sky itself."

"I'd look more like the sky, except I'm not done yet." Star grinned. "You know, it's nice to have somepony else to talk to, at least at night. I usually only get to talk to ponies when I sell my paintings."

"It's nice to have somepony else to talk to as well. I mean I do have my friends, my older sister, and now my son, but I usually only get to talk to them during the day."

"What about your husband?" Star now looked concerned.

"Oh I don't even have a very special somepony." Luna laughed reassuringly. "I adopted my son a few weeks ago. He was a little colt I grew to love due to his wanting to always help others, plus we have similar tastes in adventure and other things."

"Oh." Star now smiled with relief. "You're really lucky, I've been thinking of adopting as well, due to often being lonely on my travels, but traveling and staying up all night isn't really a proper environment to raise a foal in."

"True. This is why I'm glad my sister has a day job, when she isn't busy she can help me look after my son. Fortunately I'm also up for part of the day, so I can spend plenty of time with him as well."

"Um...forgive me for asking but...what about your parents?" Star looked concerned again.

"Oh they died a long time ago." Luna said sadly. "My sister had to finish raising me. Sometimes it still feels like she's taking care of me." She chuckled. "What about your parents?"

"I'm really sorry to hear that." Star said sympathetically. "My parents are still alive, they're just back home in Applewood." He then laughed. "That's where my name Star came from, mom hoped I'd become an actor or something. Dad however wanted me to get into art like him, hence our last name of Painter. Obviously he was happy when I did become an artist. Mom was disappointed, but she still accepted it."

Luna giggled.

"It's amusing that your name ended up unintentionally fitting your career, but then again that seems to be common in Equestria." She said.

"Sure is, I've met countless ponies with names fitting their careers or at least talents." Star chuckled.

"So, what is your favorite constellation?" Luna asked.

"It's tough, but I do like the story of how Princess Cassiopeia was rescued from the sea monster." Star said. "However there are so many other constellations I also like, either for their background story or their appearance, so I can't exactly declare the Cassiopeia constellation to be my favorite."

"I know what you mean, I can never choose a favorite either." Luna smiled.

They continued talking for about a couple hours.

"I'd love to talk some more, but I still have some night sky studying to do." Luna then said.

"It's okay, I really should finish my painting anyway." Star smiled. "It's been a real pleasure talking to you."

"Same here." Luna smiled back before starting to leave. "I'll see you tomorrow night?"

"Of course, there are other times of the night and positions of the sky I'd like to paint." Star nodded. "Until tomorrow then."

"Until tomorrow."

And sure enough they met up again the next night. They continued talking about the night sky, but also talked about other things they enjoyed. What games they loved to play, books they loved to read, and places they loved to visit. Luna even told him more about her sister and son, though gave them alternate names and gave a vague description of Celestia's job.


	4. Coming Clean

Three months passed this way, with neither Pip or even Celestia having any idea that Luna had made a new friend. Or maybe more than a friend, because one night...

"Hello Selena." Star smiled.

"Hi...Star..." Luna was stunned, suddenly Star looked more handsome than ever and his eyes seemed to sparkle like her stars. "Gee, I guess something's wrong with the moonlight. You look...different...to me."

"You've been looking different to me too." Star admitted. "You look even more beautiful than the night sky, for starters."

Luna blushed a little and found her heart beating a bit faster. She then got it: she had fallen in love with Star. And from the sound of things, he loved her back.

"In fact I've realized that I never met a mare like you before, a mare who loves the night sky as much as I do and who's so nice and fun to be with." Star continued. "And I just realized earlier today that...that I love you."

Luna's eyes became misty. For a long time she believed that she would never find a very special somepony, and now she finally got one.

"I love you too." She smiled, before becoming solemn. "However I must confess, I haven't been completely honest with you about who I am."

"Top secret work right? I kinda assumed that since you never went into full details about what you or Sunny did. It's okay, you don't have to tell me."

Sunny of course was Luna's alternate name for Celestia.

"Not exactly top secret, I just wanted you to like me for who I am instead of for what I am."

"What do you mean?"

Luna changed back into her real form. Star gaped at her.

"You're...you're Princess Luna aren't you?" He realized.

"Yes, and I'm sorry for deceiving you." Luna hung her head, afraid that Star might be mad at her for lying to him.

"It's okay, I mean I get it: a lot of ponies have been nice to you in the past just because you're a princess right? I've seen ponies give celebrities a similar treatment back in Applewood, heck most of them go around in disguise specifically for that reason so this isn't exactly new to me." Star smiled, recovering quickly from the shock. "Plus it was nice being able to be friends with you without feeling intimidated, I've heard that you can become really powerful when you're angry."

"You're right, and admittedly I can get...a little too powerful when angry." Luna winced. "A 'nightmare' really."

"Oh don't worry, everypony in Equestria now knows that you only acted that way out of pain." Star reassured her. "I don't blame you either, I mean yes the sun is important but the night sky is too beautiful to overlook. Again, not as beautiful as you though...whether you're a unicorn or alicorn." He then winked.

Luna smiled and even chuckled a little.

"Yes, speaking of which I would extremely appreciate it if you just forget about my title and the fact that I'm royalty. After all since you're my very special somepony now there's no reason to be formal with me." She pointed out.

"Oh of course..." Star's eyes widened. "I won the heart of a princess..."

"Took you a moment huh?" Luna now winked playfully at him.

"Well...yes...I mean in a way you're still 'Selena' to me but..." Star was a bit flustered. "I'm a traveling painter and..." He then sighed. "Well, I guess I'll just have to give up traveling for now."

"Really? You'd do that for me?" Luna smiled.

"Well I certainly can't expect you to abandon your duties for me, all of Equestria needs you as much as they need your sister. So quitting my traveling is the only other option."

Luna smiled gratefully, and went over to hug him. Star returned the hug, and they both enjoyed each other's warmth and the feel of their heartbeats for a while. Then Luna remembered something else:

"Oh yes...I haven't told Celestia or my son Pipsqueak - that's his full name - about you yet. I wanted to spend time with you as 'Selena' before they meet you, since I know that they'll want to meet you as soon as they hear about you."

"Might as well tell them about me tomorrow. I'm going to have to meet the family sooner or later after all." Star chuckled.

"Of course. Please come in the afternoon, I'll tell the guards as well as Celestia and Pipsqueak about you in the morning."

"Sure thing. Might as well go to bed now then to make sure that I get plenty of rest."

"Same here. I'll just monitor things a while longer and then head to bed. Things have been slow lately anyway."

They said their good nights, and headed for bed.

The next morning Luna joined Celestia, Pip, and Blueblood at breakfast grinning.

"Well you're really happy-" Celestia then saw something she had seen before in Luna's eyes and smile. "Oh my...you've fallen in love haven't you?" She gasped happily.

Luna nodded, still grinning.

"How can you tell?" Pip looked at his mom trying to see if he can see it.

"Luna looks the way Cadance did when she fell in love with Shining Armor." Celestia explained.

"Oh. Well congratulations mum." Pip smiled. "It's nice that you'll be even less lonely now...plus truthfully I've been wanting a dad."

Luna blushed a little, but gave Pip a grateful smile.

"So, who is it?" Celestia asked.

"A unicorn named Star Painter, he paints the night sky for a living. I first met him in disguise, do he didn't even know who I am until after he fell in love with me. We just admitted our love last night." Luna explained.

"That's wonderful. So, when do we get to meet him?" Celestia smiled.

"This afternoon, I already talked to him about it. Oh yes, after breakfast I'd better remember to let the guards know that he's coming."

"Very good...let's see...well I suppose we can just meet him at the entrance. Don't want to intimidate him after all."

"Thank you." Luna said with relief. "I mean I don't think he'll be too intimidated, but I want him to be comfortable."

"Of course."

Luna then realized that Blueblood hadn't said anything. She turned to him.

"Nothing to say Blueblood?" She asked coldly.

Blueblood just made a slightly irritated look, finished his tea, and left.

"I guess he recently learned the expression 'if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all'." Pip chuckled.

"Either that or he just figured that if I'm willing to threaten him just for insulting my son then who knows what I'd do if he insulted somepony I'm in love with." Luna chuckled back.

"I hope it's the first reason, since it's about time he learned that lesson, but I'm not going to worry about it. Either way it doesn't change the fact that this has been the most pleasant breakfast we've had in decades." Celestia grinned.

The three of them had a good laugh over that.


	5. Meeting the Family

Later that afternoon, Star Painter arrived at the palace.

"Are you Star Painter?" A guard asked.

"I am sir." Star bowed a little.

"Go on in then." The guard gestured after glancing at Star's Cutie Mark, which proved his identity.

"Thank you." Star walked inside. "Oh, hello Luna, Princess Celestia...and you must be Pipsqueak. Gee, I thought I was going to meet you all in the throne room."

"We figured meeting us here would be less intimidating." Celestia smiled. "Welcome Star Painter, Luna told us about you this morning. I am happy she was able to find somepony who loves her for who she is rather than her title."

"Considering she kept her title a secret from me until after I fell in love with her, I kinda had no choice." Star chuckled. "But I'm glad she did, I would be worried about whether I truly love her or not otherwise."

"I understand...and I'm pleasantly surprised that you seem to be comfortable talking to me." Celestia added. "Most of the time ponies are either nervous or too formal around me."

"Well you may be the ruler of Equestria, but I figured that any sister of Luna's would be as kind and non-stuffy as her. Especially since she's had a lonely past, regretfully. I wish I had met her years ago so that she would've had me for a friend longer."

"You're are completely correct in your assumption." Luna laughed. "Really, some of the pranks Celestia has pulled in the past." She then teasingly nudged her sister. "And don't get me started on her cake addiction."

"Oh you're one to talk." Celestia teasingly nudged Luna back. "Except you prefer candy to cake."

"Thank Nightmare Night for that."

Pip and Star chuckled a little. Then Star looked confused.

"You like Nightmare Night? I know it hasn't had a...favorable depiction of you." He said.

"True, but I've learned that the scares are only for fun and are not meant as an insult towards me. Plus I've learned to love the games...and the candy." Luna grinned.

"And our first Nightmare Night was also the first time we met." Pip smiled as he gestured at Luna.

"That too."

"Ah, that completely explains it then." Star smiled. "So you're a fan of the night too Pipsqueak?"

"Oh yes, like any foal I love staying up late and it's fun looking for the constellations." Pip smiled. "But mostly I love mum, she's so much fun and she really cares about everypony. Well actually everyone, counting my cousin Spike as well as other species we became friends with."

"We both have good taste then." Star smiled. "Oh yes, Princess Celestia do you have a recommendation for the best place for me to stay? I've been staying in an inexpensive hotel right now, but since Luna and I are now dating I'll be staying here longer than I planned."

"Oh you can just move into the palace, we have plenty of rooms." Celestia smiled. "And please, call me Celestia."

"If you believe I won't be imposing, then very well Celestia. But I insist on doing something around as payment."

"Well you don't have too, but given your talent for painting I'm sure some ponies here would love it if you helped them with some painting jobs."

"I can also think of a pony who would probably love you to paint him every day." Luna muttered.

"Oh yes, if Blueblood asks you to paint his portrait you don't have to." Celestia added. "He already has too many paintings of himself anyway."

"If you say so." Star shrugged, not having heard of Blueblood before but willing to trust Celestia's judgement.

"Now, I think it'd be a good idea for you, me, and Pipsqueak to get to know each other some more." Celestia said. "Luna, do you mind taking over some court duties for me today?"

"Not at all, I haven't had much to do at night anyway. Well, except for making a new friend who's become my very special somepony of course." Luna chuckled.

"I'll see you at dinner then?" Star smiled.

"Definitely." Luna nodded. "Enjoy your time with my sister and son. Not that I doubt you will."

"I don't doubt it either."

Luna then headed for Celestia's office to pick up some paperwork, and then went to her own office to work on it. Later on she went to the throne room to deal with some problems other ponies had.

Celestia and Pip took Star on a tour of the castle, so that he wouldn't get lost later. They talked during the tour, getting to know each other more and growing to really like each other. Pip had even started to see Star as a father figure. They also laughed when Star told them the names Luna gave herself and them while she was still in disguise, though mostly because of Celestia's fake name.

"I have to admit, I actually like the name Sunny even though it's a fake name." Celestia chuckled.

"Mum's fake name for me wasn't really a fake name at all though." Pip then added. "Pip really is my nickname, it's just that usually only my friends call me that. Mum and Aunt Celestia only call me that when they're comforting me."

"Well I like your nickname a lot." Star smiled. "In fact I would like to call you Pip if it's okay."

"Of course, we are friends after all."

The tour gradually continued into the gardens, until it was obvious that evening was starting to arrive.

"Well, I must see if Luna would like a break from court duties." Celestia said later. "Star, do you have any preferences for dinner?"

"Not really, I'm so used to restaurant cooking that any meal here will feel like home cooking. So as long as it's filling, whatever you and Luna want is fine with me." Star smiled.

"Great, then you'll love dinner." Celestia grinned. "Pipsqueak, how about you show Star your room and play a game with him until dinner is ready?"

"Sure thing Aunt Celestia!" Pip grinned, really happy to have somepony new to play with.

Well technically someone new, since Spike would always play with Pip whenever he visited the castle.

Anyway, Star and Pip went to Pip's room to play. Pip chose a short board game, not wanting to risk needing to stop in the middle of a game for dinner. Star and Pip had a lot of fun playing, and grew even more fond of each other.

Then it was time for dinner.

"Say...Star...I know it may be early but...can I call you dad?" Pip asked shyly.

Star was touched.

"Well...I don't mind but...it might be a little awkward for Luna." Star admitted.

"Oh yeah..." Pip sighed. "Didn't think of that."

"It's okay, truthfully I'm really happy that I'm becoming like a dad to you. You're becoming like a son to me as well, especially since I've been hoping to adopt a foal someday."

"Well, then I guess I can wait until after you and mom get married and you adopt me." Pip decided.

Star blushed a little, but smiled.

"Good, but have patience. After all your mom and I only started dating, it may be years until we get married...if we do." Star sighed. "I do love her that much, I'm just being realistic. You don't always marry the first one you fall in love with after all."

"I guess not. Ah well, already had a sad past of losing my parents so I might as well just enjoy the good present I have now."

"You're very wise for your age." Star smiled.

"Being Student Pony President for my school in the past has taught me some things, plus the Cutie Mark Crusaders have taught me many things as well. Like being patient, be grateful you weren't around back when they were impatient to get their Cutie Marks." Pip chuckled.

"I don't blame them, getting your Cutie Mark can be hard to wait for." Star said a little nostalgically. "I still remember the night I got my Cutie Mark, I was always more into art than acting but could never figure out what I should paint on a regular basis. Then one night I couldn't sleep, and so decided to pass the time by painting a bit of the night sky. Got my Cutie Mark when I realized how much I enjoyed painting the sky."

"I was wondering how you got your Cutie Mark." Pip said. "I wonder what I'll get mine in...I know I want to spend my life helping ponies, but there are many ways to do that."

"Maybe your new life as a prince will help you find your true calling."

"I hope so, truthfully I'm glad I'm a prince now because it means that I'll be able to do a lot to help Equestria in the future. Just like Spike is doing now, even though he's still starting out as a prince he's been a big help already. Heck he even was a big help before his prince title was revealed to everypony else, he helped saved the Crystal Empire and even helped form truces with the dragons and changelings."

"Amazing...so it's true then, that the changelings reformed. I heard about it but I never met a reformed changeling so I was never sure whether it was true or not."

"Oh it's true, it turns out their previous ruler Chrysalis was the only bad one. Luckily Spike's changeling friend Thorax ended up wanting friends, which lead to him eventually learning that changelings get more food from sharing love than they do from stealing it. Revealing this to the other changelings is what caused them to reform, except for Chrysalis."

"What happened to her?"

"Oh, she tried to get revenge by stealing love from Twilight's very special somepony Flicker, but he caught on to the trick and he and Twilight defeated her. Killed her actually, they didn't want to but she was becoming too dangerous."

"At least no one has to worry about her anymore."

"Very true."

They reached the dining hall, and greatly enjoyed their dinner. Celestia and Luna, as expected based on their personalities, always preferred filling common food to the fancy stuff snobs enjoyed. So often dinner was made of simple large dishes or at least fancy dishes that can be made in large quantities. Hayburgers, casseroles, you name it.

Blueblood was the only one who didn't enjoy that dinner. Oh he enjoyed the meal itself, unlike his aunts and Pip he always asked for one of those small fancy dishes, but he did not enjoy the fact that one of his aunts was dating a common painter. However he did not want to risk losing his title or worse, so he decided to keep his comments to himself whenever his aunts were nearby. That didn't stop him from saying those comments to the snobs outside the palace though...

Anyway, since it wasn't a school night Luna and Star spent some time playing with Pip before Pip had to get ready for bed. Star even offered to read him a story so that Luna could get a head start in making sure things were safe in Equestria. Luna appreciated the offer, not only wanting to get some of her duties out of the way so that she could spend some time with Star, but also glad that Star and Pip bonded so quickly. The fact that Pip already loved Star like a dad was a very good sign in her eyes.

Again things were slow, so she was able to finish around the time Star went to a larger balcony to start painting. She decided to join him to watch him paint, normally like most artists he didn't like being watched but in Luna's case it was different.

And later that night, Luna and Star had their first kiss.


End file.
